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GHOSTS OF THE UPPER LOT

The upper lot at Universal Studios was formed when Caltrans needed dirt for the construction of the Hollywood Freeway, and for the free dirt, Universal got a flat-topped hill to build the now famous upper lot, which is the hub of the theme park. This section of the park is where the Universal CityWalk is located, along with the ticket booths, entryway, shows, shops and the ever-popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter. In essence, the upper lot is the heart of the amusement park.

The upper lot, or the Entertainment Center, is where you will find the majority of the theme park rides, theaters, shows and food establishments. Rides include Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem, The Simpsons ride and the many children’s rides and attractions in Super Silly Fun Land, along with the exceedingly popular Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey experience, which takes riders through a quidditch-infused adventure in and around Hogwarts with Harry, Hermione and Ron as companions. The upper lot is also where you will find hit shows such as the special effects show, Water World and the new Walking Dead maze that takes guests through a zombie-infested world of horror. There are also plenty of food choices here with the Three Broomsticks—fast becoming the favorite—as well as Luigi’s Pizza, Gru’s Café and even Lard Lad Donuts for those who want to munch on the run. Hamburgers and hot dog stands are an easy find as well. There is an endless supply of things to do here in the Entertainment Center—perhaps this is why the area also has its fair share of spirits wandering its themed streets and enjoying its thrilling rides.

TAKING STOCK

For those who enjoy shopping for souvenirs, Universal Studios has a plethora of marketplaces within the theme park. The first of these shops you encounter upon entering the park itself is the huge Universal Studio Store. Here you will find merchandise ranging from The Simpsons and Harry Potter and all the way back to the golden age of monster movies and, for employees, spirits who have claimed the basement stockroom for their own.

On our first visit to Universal Studios, we tried to talk to as many employees as we could, and the Studio Store, being so close to the entrance, was our first stop. When we asked two clerks who were standing behind a cash register if they knew of any ghost stories regarding the park, they quickly glanced at each other in what was obviously a nervous way. When they turned back, one of them cleared his throat and asked if we wanted to hear about something that happens in the basement of the store. Since this is a book about all the ghost activity, we told them we definitely wanted to hear their tale.

The male clerk told us that he had gone down to the basement late one night after the park had closed with a list of things that needed to come up to replenish the shelves from the day’s sales. When he got to the door, he found that it wouldn’t open; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get the door to budge. He started back up to the showroom floor, but just as he started out, he heard the door behind him give a slight creak. When he glanced back, he saw that the door was slowly opening. He didn’t really think much about it, figuring that the door had just been stuck and he had managed to break it free just as he was giving up on it.

The employee began gathering the items needed when he heard something move behind him. He noticed that a box had been dislodged from its spot and had moved into the center of the aisle he was in. He quickly placed the box back where it belonged and continued his work. He then moved to another section of the stockroom, and again, while he was gathering his items, he heard movement directly behind him and saw that another box was now in his way. He now thought to himself that the odds of this happening twice, in two different walkways, was rather remote, but he again moved the container back to its proper spot and headed for the exit to go back up the stairs.

As the employee neared the door, a box that was on one of the lower shelves slid out in front of him, blocking his way. The startled man looked around to see if someone was down there with him playing a prank, but he couldn’t find anybody. He moved the box back to its original place and had started walking again when another box, this one higher up than the first, slid out and down in front of him, again blocking his way. This time, however, the clerk slid the box just far enough aside that he could get past and sprinted for the door. As he was dashing up the stairs, he clearly heard the door behind him shut with a thud.

The Studio Store near the theme park entrance may well be the most haunted place in the park.

The man had heard stories from some of his co-workers that the basement was haunted but had figured the tales were either meant to scare him or were just things that the others had heard themselves and were merely passing along. Now, he had proof that the stories he was told were true and hoped he would never have to go back into the basement again. Unfortunately, restocking the shelves is a part of his job, but if he is required to go to the basement he now makes sure he is not alone.

Once the male clerk was finished telling us his story, the female clerk began hers. She said that what happened to her is a common occurrence down in the stockroom, with quite a few employees complaining about it, so much so that the store now recommends that no one go down there alone. Her story starts off the same way as her co-worker’s in that she needed to go down into the stockroom to replenish items sold that day. She had no trouble getting into the room and didn’t have any boxes launch themselves at her. However, while she was retrieving the items she needed, she heard the distinct sound of a heavy object moving near where the door to the basement was located. Like her co-worker, she really didn’t give it much thought, thinking that another employee had come down and needed to move something to get what he or she had come for. This was not the case.

After the girl had picked up the items she needed, she went back to the door and found that it was blocked by a box that was so big and so heavy that she couldn’t move it. No matter how hard she tried, the box wouldn’t budge. The clerk tried to call upstairs to her co-workers, but being down in the basement, she didn’t have any reception. Yelling didn’t work, as no one could hear her, so the only thing she could do was wait and hope that someone would come down before everyone went home for the night. Luckily it didn’t take long, but it did take considerable effort by three men to get the door open and let her out. To this day, the clerk refuses to go back into the basement alone.

Another story we heard on a recent trip to the park had to do with the old office and employee breakroom area. A former manager told us that he had been working late one evening when he heard one of his employees let out a scream. He rushed back to see if she was alright, but before he could get to the back room, he found the young woman and one of her co-workers rushing out of the area. He told us that both of the women look frightened and when he was finally able to get them to tell him what happened, he was surprised at what they said. He told us that the girl who screamed had been holding a hanger in her hand and was about to place it down on a table when the hanger violently flew from her hand and hit the wall opposite from where they were standing. They said that it hit the wall so hard that it put a dent in the plaster. Upon inspection, the manager found the hanger lying on the floor next to the wall and there was an imprint in the wall where it had hit. The manager said that neither of the women would go back into that area of the store ever again.

Another story the former manager told us had to do with an office in the back of the store. He said that many employees would see a man sitting at the table in the room busily typing away on an invisible typewriter. The man would never turn around and would never even acknowledge their presence but just continued to type. As soon as the employees would walk into the room, the man simply vanished. The former manager said that this phantom typist became so common that most of the employees would just ignore the ghost and go about whatever business they were doing. The manager did tell us that he had never seen the phantom himself but had heard the story from so many of the employees that he figured it must be true.

LOOK OUT

Tragedy can strike anywhere and at any time, even in a happy place like Universal Studios. When a person is struck with severe depression or other mental illness, that tragedy can manifest as self-destructive behavior and the need to eliminate that which is perceived to be the cause of that depression. This is exactly what happened on April 3, 2015.

On that fateful day in April, a young man, distraught over losing his girlfriend, went to the theme park to confront his former partner about their breakup. The couple had a child together, and the split had hit the man hard. The woman, who was an employee at one of Universal Studios’ restaurants, had already taken out several restraining orders on her estranged boyfriend, but that was not going to stop him from seeing her. On this day, however, he had decided that one way or another he was going to put an end to the situation and arrived at the theme park determined to see it done.

As the young man nervously paced the area next to his estranged partner’s workplace, trying to figure out his next move, his ex noticed him from a window and called park security. Because the restaurant was located next to the children’s area of the park, security was not taking any chances with the safety of its guests and called the Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Department. When the officers arrived, they were immediately escorted to the young man’s location, but the sight of the police made him quite agitated, and no matter how hard the officers tried, they couldn’t calm him down. Unfortunately, the man was in no mental shape to cooperate, and as the officers came near, he quickly pulled out a pistol, placed it to his temple and pulled the trigger. He died instantly from the gunshot. This is not the end of the man’s story, however. Since that day, strange things have been happening near the area where the young man committed suicide.

This VIP restaurant is where the girlfriend of a suicidal young man worked.

This is the overlook where police confronted an armed young man.

Some of the employees we talked to told us that a spirit is seen leaning up against the rail of the overlook. They can tell that it is a young man, but he seems to be completely oblivious to everything around him. He just stares out over the cliff face, looking down at the lower lot or off into the distance in the direction of the nearby mountains. These employees have stated that many of them have tried to approach the man, but every time someone gets too near, the spirit fades from view.

The overlook where the man committed suicide is directly adjacent to the area of the park designated for younger guests. The Super Silly Fun Land is close to the viewing area, separated only by a water play zone that allows children to get exceedingly wet. Because of this, Universal has installed a locker room where parents and guardians can keep towels, a change of clothes and any other item they might need to make sure their kids are comfortable after a prolonged soaking. This area, including the locker room and bathroom, have had reports of this young man wandering around as if in a daze. He never approaches anyone but will gaze at the kids in an almost fatherly way. People who know the story wonder if he is thinking about his child and how he will never be a part of the young one’s life. Again, if he is approached in this area, he will simply vanish from view.

The entrance to the Super Silly Fun Land is another spot where this lost soul is seen. Here, the man is simply found walking into the children’s amusement zone. The odd thing about this occurrence is the fact that he is seen moving only a short distance into the area before disappearing, reappears outside the kid’s section and again walks in, once more vanishing from view. No one can remember him going into this section before he took his own life, so why he would continue to be seen doing this is a mystery.

There is one other place this man has reportedly been seen, but the employee who told us this could not verify that the story he heard was true or just a tale told by a co-worker to try and scare him. What we were told was that this young man is occasionally seen sitting at one of the tables at Gru’s Café. The employee said that the entity is never seen at the same table or is there any particular time. The employee was told that when the man does show up in the eatery, he is seen in solid form and not as a ghost or spirit would appear. He was told that if anyone approaches the table where he is sitting, he will simply disappear and not return for days or weeks. This is one of those stories that the readers will have to decide for themselves whether or not it is true.

The spirit of a desperate young man is seen wandering near this area of the upper lot.

One thing seems clear about this spirit: he seems unsure of what is happening around him or to him. This is common in cases of suicide. The young man has never been frightening or aggressive toward any guest or employee, and it seems clear that he is just lost and possibly looking for answers.

LITTLE GIRL LOST

The Simpsons ride at Universal Studios is one of the most popular at the theme park. This motion-based CGI roller coaster simulator takes guests on a wild ride through Krustyland as an escaped Sideshow Bob tries to kill them using all kinds of devious twists and turns of the coaster car. As popular as this ride is, however, it didn’t start off using The Simpsons as its theme. It began life as the Back to the Future ride, with Steven Spielberg as its greatest champion. When the closure of this ride was announced in the spring of 2007, there were many fans who were upset about the closure and even considered a petition drive to stop it, but in the end, the Back to the Future ride closed on September 3, 2007. There was one fan who decided that the ride, in whatever iteration it took, was going to remain her home regardless of whether she was dead or not.

The Back to the Future ride was similar to what the creators of the new attraction had in mind; it was a first-generation CGI motion simulator that took guests on a trip through time in an eight-passenger DeLorean while Doc Brown tried to keep them safe with the same absentminded style we know from the movies. Being a first-gen ride, the smoothness we know today was lacking, and the sharp twists and turns of the cars could take their toll on riders by causing motion sickness, dizziness and other ailments. Once the new ride came into being, all of that changed, and the ride became much more rider friendly. Regardless of how the ride could make one lose his or her lunch, it had a steadfast fan base, including a ghostly little girl.

Even when Back to the Future was still in operation, guests and employees would see the girl on occasion, usually riding in one of the DeLoreans but always alone. Many of those who witnessed her would question the ride employees about the little girl who seemed unattended by parent or adult. At first, the employees were at a loss—none of them could remember checking in an unaccompanied minor into the ride or remember seeing one exit once the ride was finished. It is Universal’s policy not to allow small children to ride the attractions without a parent or a responsible party, and the park is strict in keeping to this safety procedure. There were many times after a patron reported seeing this little girl that an employee, knowing that she had not exited, would go back through the ride and search for the child, but she was never found. So many times was this girl reported that she became an urban myth among the employees at Universal Studios—that is, until she was finally spotted by a ride technician while closing the attraction up one night.

One evening after the ride had closed, an employee was doing the final walk-through to make sure no one had been left inside and that the ride had been cleaned properly. While he was just finishing up, the employee heard someone giggle. It sounded like the laughter of a small girl, and the employee was afraid that a child had been inadvertently left behind by a parent. He was confused, however, because the ride had been closed for more than half an hour and figured that by that time, either the parents would have realized they had left their child behind or the kid herself would have come looking for help. The employee looked around but didn’t see anyone, so he figured that the kid may have been scared and was hiding somewhere out of sight. The employee called out to the child, telling her that it was OK, she was safe and to come out so they could find her mother and father. Nothing. The man looked for a while longer but without any luck decided to go get some help from his co-workers. The employee headed for the exit door, and just as he was about to put his hand on the latch, he heard the giggling once again.

The man thought he knew where the girl was hiding judging by where the laughter seemed to be coming from, but when he arrived at the ride car in question, he found it empty. His confusion must have been amusing because she began to giggle again; this time, it sounded like it was coming from the ride car directly next to the one he had been looking in. He quickly went to the other car but again found it empty. Now, he heard the laughter coming from the car on the opposite end of the ride. He had no idea how the child could have gotten that far away from him so quickly but, not wanting her to get away again, sprinted to the cars on the other side before she could flee. However, he once again found the ride area empty with no sign of the little girl. Once more, the man heard the giggling but now it was back in the area he had just come from. He knew that there was no way the child could have gotten past him this time.

The Simpsons ride is haunted by a playful little girl who has also become a park legend over time.

As the man dashed back to the other side of the ride zone his mind went to the stories he had heard of the little ghost girl who supposedly haunted the ride. He had always figured that it was just the myth that his co-workers always said it was since no one working at Universal had ever actually seen the child; now, he was beginning to think that maybe she actually did exist.

When the employee got to the place where he had heard the giggling, he couldn’t find a soul. It was almost as if the child were playing hide and seek with him. As soon as he thought about hide and seek, the giggling started again, but this time, it was close to him and seemed to be coming from the area in front of the ride screen. The man turned to look where the laughing was coming from, and he saw a young girl standing in front of him. He let out a sigh of relief, thinking that he had found the lost little girl and smiled at her to reassure her that he was there to help. The girl was smiling back at him, and he could tell that she was, at the least, comfortable with him. The employee started walking toward the girl and told her that they would find her parents and have her back home in no time when the child gave him a big playful grin and dashed off—right through the wall.

The employee was stunned; he couldn’t quite grasp what he had seen and just stood staring at the spot where the girl had vanished. It took him awhile to realize what had happened and who or what he had seen but finally came to grips with the idea he had just seen the ghost that he thought was nothing more than a story told to scare new hires. Now, however, he knew the tales were true, and he may have been the first employee to ever actually see the spirit. But he wouldn’t be the last.

The Back to the Future ride was closed soon after the employee had first seen the spirit of the little girl. No one knew what would happen to her after the new ride was built, and many figured that she would probably just fade away into memory. That was far from what happened. Many of us in the paranormal field know that renovations do not mean that paranormal activity subsides and may actually make the activity increase. The sightings of this little girl did not get any more frequent, but they didn’t go away either.

Over the years that The Simpsons ride has been open, many of the same reports that occurred before have remained: guests exiting the ride with concerns about the small child they had seen who was without an adult and riders wondering why they couldn’t find the girl after the ride was over even though they had been keeping an eye out for her to make sure she got off the ride safely. The only thing that has really changed now that the new ride has opened is that the employees working The Simpsons ride know that the little ghost girl is real—she seems to have gotten more comfortable showing herself to them. Many times, as they are closing the ride up for the night, the child will make herself known and wants to play with them. We found that those working the ride are not shy about talking about this little spirit, so we figure that they are talking about her to the guests. Who this lost little girl is no one is sure, but she seems to be a sweet child who is just looking for a playmate or friend. Hopefully someday we will find out exactly who she is and help her pass on—or at the very least call her by name to let her know she is not forgotten.

The same little girl who haunts The Simpsons ride is believed to haunt this store out front of the ride as well.

The store out in front of The Simpsons ride may be another place where our lost little girl likes to play. Once known as the Time Travelers Depot when the Back to the Future ride was still in operation, Kwik-E-Mart is now a themed candy and gift shop catering to all things Simpsons. We talked with one employee who told us that upon opening up for the day, he entered the small store and found that all of the items had been moved from their original places. Not just one or two items—every single thing in the shop had been moved. It took him and his co-workers an extra hour to open up, and he said that while they had been putting everything back in order, they kept hearing a little girl’s laughter. They couldn’t find where it was coming from but could tell that it emanated from inside the store. The employee went on to say that things have a tendency to fall off the shelves for no reason or get moved in the middle of the day, and the date on the computer receipts will mysteriously change. It would seem that our lost little girl has a mischievous streak to her, but as nothing is ever more than a prank, it is all in good fun.

A GHOSTLY PRODUCTION

There was one more tale told to us by two employees; however, they couldn’t seem to agree on where exactly the phenomenon took place. One clerk said that it occurred in Feature Presentation directly across from the Studio Store, while the other employee swore that it happened in Production Central. The story is an interesting one, and because we aren’t sure where it took place, we are going to assume it happened in the store where the two employees were working when they related it to us. That would be Production Central.

According to the two people, they were working in the store just after noon, and the crowd in the store was beginning to pick up. They were taking turns helping guests who had questions and manning the cash register for those with purchases when one of them noticed that the mannequin in the store had been moved. It was supposed to be facing the front of the shop but was now turned away from the entrance and facing the back wall. The clerk said that when he got a moment, he went and moved the mannequin back into position and then resumed helping the guests. The other employee had noticed her co-worker moving the figurine and had just assumed that an unruly guest had moved it thinking it would be funny.

Only about ten minutes after the clerk rearranged the mannequin, he glanced back over at it and found that it had once again been moved to face the back of the store. This time, the employee looked around the shop to see if he noticed anyone who looked familiar. He thought someone might be playing tricks on him and hiding in the store somewhere and then moving the figure when he and his co-worker weren’t looking. He didn’t see anyone who looked familiar or anyone who looked guilty hiding outside, so he went back in, moved the mannequin once again and then told his co-worker to keep an eye on the dummy. If someone was trying to play a prank on them, then they would catch the culprit.

Production Central. It was in this gift shop that a mannequin moved of its own volition.

Once the early afternoon crowd had thinned out and the two clerks could take a breather, they were talking behind the cash register when one of them saw that the mannequin was once again facing backward. Both of them swore to each other that they had been keeping a close eye on the figurine for the last hour or so and hadn’t seen anyone messing with it. How then had it been completely turned in the opposite direction from the way it should be facing? The clerk who had been placing the dummy back to its proper position once more went over and moved it; this time, when he turned to walk back to the register, he heard his co-worker let out a gasp. When he asked her what happened, she just pointed to the mannequin that he had just moved. When the young man looked at the figurine, it was facing the back wall of the store once more. The employee hadn’t heard a thing, but his co-worker told him that she had just seen it turn all on its own. The employee thought his co-worker was having fun with him and scoffed at her, when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the mannequin was moving. Both he and the other clerk turned to watch the figurine rotating back to where it was supposed to be facing. They looked at each other, and both bolted for the exit of the store.

Once outside in the bright sunlight of the day, they realized that they had left the shop completely unattended. Neither wanted to go back into the store but had no choice in the matter. They couldn’t very well leave the shop with no one to look out for it and no one to attend to the guests who were going to come and look for souvenirs. Reluctantly, both of the dedicated employees reentered the shop and resumed their duties. We were told that once the clerks went back in, both of them looked at the mannequin and asked that it not move for the rest of their shift and asked that it please not scare them or their customers. They were both relieved when the figure stayed put, and since that day, neither of them has seen the mannequin move again.

The two employees also told us about a story they had heard that came from a friend of theirs who worked in Feature Presentation, near the park entrance. This store stocks a large amount of Harry Potter merchandise, including Chocolate Frogs. It seems that there is a spirit in this shop that likes to knock the frogs off of the shelves and then make the boxes jump around on the floor. After we heard this tale, we walked down to Feature Presentation to speak with the employees there, but none of them would admit to the story. However, it should be noted that one of the managers said that the reason the Chocolate Frogs kept falling off of the shelves was because they were chocolate and therefore the candy would expand and shrink depending on the temperature, which caused them to fall to the floor. It would appear that this chocolate phenomenon only happens in this one store, so one has to wonder. To us, it was almost the same as admitting to the story we heard, but we leave it to the readers to decide.

Feature Presentation. In this store, the Chocolate Frogs refuse to stay on the shelves.

This display is where the Chocolate Frogs randomly fall off the shelves and dance on the floor.